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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Tips For Living With A Roommate

To be perfectly honest…living
with a roommate can go either one of two ways: they will either be a really
great roommate or they will be a not so great roommate, and I have experienced
both. My first experience with a roommate was my freshman year of college, she
was a lot of fun and super nice, but she was a little on the messy side and
would frequently pull all nighters. I like to be super organized, have a clean
room, I usually go to bed somewhere between 11pm and 1am but I like the room to
be pitch dark when I go to sleep, so obviously my first roommate wasn’t a good match. I took
a chance going into my sophomore year and went potluck, luckily it turned out
to be a great match, we were roommates for a couple years! Then my last
year of college I somehow lucked out and had a double to myself, which was
pretty awesome! However, I had to make sure I didn’t turn into a hermit; I
planed lunches, dinner, and other social things ahead of time, spent more time
in the student center, and so on. So whether you are in college or live in an
apartment here are some helpful tips for living with a roommate.

1. Define “clean” and make a chore chart: Distribute dorm
room/apartment cleaning {trash duty, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, etc} and write
them down on a sheet of paper then hang up the chore chart where it is visible.
Talk to your roommate(s) about which chores you and them don’t mind doing and trying
to delegate them that accordingly.

2. Set Boundaries: The first day you meet your new roommate sit
down and have a conversation about each others background, likes and dislikes,
get to know each other. Set up an agreement for cleaning and other
responsibilities, set personal boundaries. Check in with each other every now
and then to see how things are going and if anything needs to change

3. Conflict Resolution: Go ahead and address the little problems
before they turn into a bigger issue. When address an issue do so in away where
it is civil and does not put the other person on the defense and create an
momentarily awkward living situation. It is always easier address an issue when
it is still small.

4. Start with a clean slate: Everyone in the shared living space is
on an equal level and gets an equal say in what goes on and how things should
be run. Create a good situation from the start.